Draft:Ground Forces Anti-Air Defense Missile Artillery (Ukraine)

As a combat support force it is designed to provide, in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Air Defense of the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, the following:

• anti-air defense cover of important administrative and political centers, facilities and the like
• air defense cover of industrial and economic vital facilities
• air defense cover of other important facilities and intrastructure as may be provided by the government of Ukraine
• air defense cover to formations of the Armed Forces in combat operations, both static or mobile, as well as permanent installations and bases of the forces

This service operates various short and medium-range types of anti-aircraft missile (anti-aircraft artillery) systems with high capabilities of hitting modern air attack means in a wide range of altitudes and flight speeds, under different weather conditions and timeframes, in support of Ground Forces operations or in joint forces operations with other branches and in fulfillment of the various tasks of the Armed Forces as defined by law.

For Ukraine, the protection of military and political centers, industrial facilities and energy supply is one of the primary tasks of ensuring the country's defense capability, which is why to the Ground Forces, the GFAADMA is of paramount importance as a service branch in support of combat operations. As such the Ground Forces Air Defense distinguished itself in both the War in Donbas and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine^[1] and is being modernized with the arrival of Western air defense systems to the UGF.^[2]

The 1991 decrees of the Verkhovna Rada that formed the Ground Forces on the basis of Soviet Army formations in Ukraine ensured the formation of Ground Forces Anti-Air Defense Missile Artillery as a combat support branch of the Forces and thus is one of the oldest combat support arms of this service branch. Each infantry and armored division, today infantry and armored brigades, had an air defense missile regiment in its ORBAT, now reduced to battalion size for some but remaining a regiment for many units, which provided mobile air defense support to combat and combat support formations, as well as defense of Army Aviation bases and installations, alongside independent regiments (battalion sized) or brigades reporting to Operational Commands directly.

The regiments formerly carried Soviet battle honours and state honours until these were removed from their titles and unit colours in the 2010s.

Russo-Ukrainian War

With the arrival of the Flakpanzer Gepard in the midst of the current Russian invasion as of 2022,^[3][4] the Anti-Air Defense Missile Artillery of the Ukrainian Ground Forces thus began an ongoing process of Westernization of its materiel, which had already been acclerated with the arrival of Western MANPAD systems to supplement those of Soviet-era manufacture in current use even before the invasion. The German-produced Gepards, together with Stormer HVMs produced in the United Kingdom,^[5][6] both of which arrived in the country during the current war, constitute the first Western-made mobile air defense systems in service in this branch of the Ground Forces since independence.

• Regional air defense regiments:^[7][8]
  • 39th Air Defence Missile Regiment, Volodymyr-Volynsky, Volyn Oblast
  • 1129th Bila Tserkva Air Defence Missile Regiment, Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast
  • 38th Air Defence Missile Regiment 'Major-General Yuriy Tyutyunnyk', Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv Oblast
  • 1039th Air Defence Missile Regiment (MU А1964), Hvardiiske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
• Air defense missile battalions/regiments in Mechanized Infantry and Armored Brigades:
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Regiment 1st Special Purpose Brigade (Infantry)
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 1st Armored Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 10th Mountain Assault Infantry Brigade (Mountain)
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Regiment 13th Jaeger Infantry Brigade (Mot) (Light)
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 14th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 17th Armored Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 24th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 28th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 30th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 47th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 53rd Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 54th Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 56th Motorized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 57th Motorized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 58th Motorized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 59th Motorized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 61st Jaeger Infantry Brigade (Mech) (Light)
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Regiment 68th Jaeger Infantry Brigade (Mech) (Light)
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 72nd Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 92nd Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 93rd Mechanized Brigade
  • Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion 128th Mountain Assault Infantry Brigade (Mountain)
• 1121st Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Training Regiment

The Ground Forces Anti-Air Defense Missile Artillery operates the following:

Towed/truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns

Model	Image	Country of origin	Type	Variant	Number	Details
Anti-Aircraft (AA) towed Guns
ZPU-1		Soviet Union  Czech Republic  Polish People's Republic	Towed anti-aircraft gun		?	Used during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9][better source needed]
14.5mm Viktor					115	Victor, ZPU-2 mounted on car Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up  Czech Republic manufactured by Excalibur Army. The Netherlands will supply 100 commercially purchased vehicles with anti-aircraft guns from the Czech Republic.[10][11] 15 purchased from the money collected in the fund collection Weapons to Ukraine - gifts for Mr. Putin and his friends.[12]
AZP S-60					400 +	Used during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some were mounted on trucks. Some have been modernised with more modern fire-control systems.[13] The new Polish package on January 2023 consists of S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition [14]
ZU-23-2				2A13	1,000+
Zastava M55		Yugoslavia	Anti-aircraft gun		?	Seen in use during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[15]
Bofors 40 mm L/70		Sweden	Anti-aircraft gun	L/70	53	36 guns and ammunition pledged by Lithuania on 11 January 2023.[16] 17 provided by The Netherlands. Some under Air Force and Navy.[17]
KS-19		Soviet Union			4+?	Either captured from Russian forces or pulled out of long term storage during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[18]
MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin		United Kingdom		Unknown	Pledged by the United Kingdom.[19]

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns

Model	Image	Country of origin	Type	Variant	Number	Details
Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns
ZSU-23-4 Shilka		Soviet Union	Tracked armoured self-propelled anti-aircraft gun	ZSU-23-4M3	300+	Being modernized and returned to service by the Balakliia Repair Plant.[20] As of 26 June 2022, four have been captured by Ukrainian forces during the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine.[21]
Flakpanzer Gepard		West Germany	Tracked armoured self-propelled anti-aircraft gun	1A2	32 + 5	30 refurbished units paid for by Germany delivered in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22] Seven more pledged by Germany in December 2022. Some under Air Force.[23] 2 provided by Germany on February 2023.[24]

Surface-to-air missile systems

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Variant	Number	Details
Stormer HVM		United Kingdom	Very short range		6	At least six vehicles and hundreds of missiles were supplied by the United Kingdom in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[25]
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger		United States	Very short range		12	Four Avenger air defense systems and Stinger missiles pledged by the United States in November 2022.[26] An additional 8 units were pledged on 19 January.[27]
9K35 Strela-10		Soviet Union	Short range	9K35M Strela-10M4	>75[28]	Six units were supplied by the Czech Republic in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[29][30] As of 26 June 2022, four units had been captured from Russian forces.[21]
2K22 Tunguska			2K22M	75	[28]
9K33 Osa			Short range	Osa-AKM Osa-AKM-P1 "Żądło"	125	As of 18 June 2022, at least two had been captured from Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21] Some variants with polish camouflage spotted but no transfer has been officially named.[31]
Crotale		France	Short to medium range		2	In October 2022 it was disclosed that France will deliver Crotale air defense systems to Ukraine.[32][33] Two batteries delivered to Ukraine in November 2022.[34]
9K37 Buk		Soviet Union  Ukraine	Medium range	9K37M1	72	Undergoing modernization to the 9K37M1-2 standard.[35] Undergoing modifications in order to fire the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile
2K12 Kub				M3/2D	89	Overhauled and brought back into service in the late 2010s.[36][37] M3/2D variants used.[citation needed]
MIM-23 Hawk		United States			8+	In October 2022, it was announced that Spain would supply four systems.[38] More systems were pledged by the United States.[26] In November, Spain pledged two more systems.[39] USA provided on February 2023 2 HAWK air defense firing units and munitions.[40]

Future purchases:

• Skyshield truck-mounted short range anti-aircraft guns for UGF use^[41][42]
• Skyranger 35 wheeled mobile short range anti-aircraft guns, mounted either on Boxer or BTR chassis
• Crotale NG wheeled mobile short range surface-to-air missile launchers, can also be fitted on BTR chassis^[43]

• Ukrainian Ground Forces

Category:Army units and formations of UkraineCategory:Air defence units and formations